Lisa Anderson´s full-on career includes Hollywood role

Retirement is supposed to be relaxing. That is of course, unless you are Lisa Andersen. The four-time world surfing champion from Florida, has found that life after full-time competition can be just as hectic, if not more so, than it was before.

In Queensland for the Roxy Pro where she has a wildcard entry, Andersen is actually relishing this one-off return to the women´s World Championship Tour.

"I don´t know if I´d want to be competing this year full-time," said Andersen, "it´s pretty tough out there with so many good surfers on the tour. I´m very happy with my life at the moment, but surfing a heat again is going to be fun, especially if we get some good waves out there. I didn´t expect to get this wildcard, I figured they would give it to one of the younger girls. I was just going to come here anyway as (Lisa´s partner) Paul´s parents live here, and I just wanted to be amongst it all. Of all of the events i would want this one the most "

But at the moment Andersen´s number one focus is not winning heats, but looking after her two children, eight-year-old Erica and one-year-old Mason old. "It´s hard to leave home to go compete, and I couldn´t do it full time," said Lisa "The kids are great. they get along pretty good. One instigates the other, but Erica has been great, she helps me out a lot."

Motherhood has certainly agreed with the 34-year-old, as she is in amazing shape and she feels her surfing is better than ever.

Lisa Anderson, Roxy Pro 2002 : photo Tostee/aspworldtour.com

"There´s no real secret to it, states Lisa. "It kind of took me a while this time around. I went on a boat trip two months later (after Mason´s birth) and once you get older it definitely takes a little longer. I was 24 the first time around (with Erica) and now it´s a little different, I´ve got a bit less time to myself. But I stay active, the kids make sure of that, and I surf as often as I can."

Although her children are Lisa´s priority at the moment, there are no shortage of opportunities on the horizon for her... the least of which is a movie based on her life story.

"I´m working with Warner Brothers on a movie," said Lisa. "It´s still being worked on script-wise. It´s on the backburner at the moment, it´s been going on for seven years, and once it happens it happens." When your life story is being filmed, you generally assume that you´ve achieved everything you wanted to achieve. But it appears Lisa is adding new chapters all the time. "Yeah, it´s a bit weird having your life story being made into a film. I still feel so young and like there´s so much to do. The movie only spans up to my first world title," says Lisa, looking out over Snapper Rocks where she is due to surf against reigning champion Layne Beachley in round one, "otherwise we could go on forever."

Andersen is happy her celebrated rivalry with Beachley and the attention and pressure it drew has simmered since Beachley eclipsed her record of four world titles, winning a fifth in December last year. "It´s mellow, for sure. It´s kind of good actually. It´s great that Layne is in the spotlight, she deserves it so much. I´ve got so many things on myself at the moment that not having so much attention is kinda good."

Apart from surfing as a wildcard, raising two kids, meeting sponsor commitments, directing surfing contests, making surf movies, filming her life story, and acting as a stunt double for Cameron Diaz in the new Charlie´s Angels movie (Andersen surfs Pipeline in the role), life is "pretty mellow" for the smiling, relaxed Floridian."I´m not looking too far ahead. I just want to go one year at a time. It´s hard.